Sam Mendes Says ‘Spectre’ Will Be His Last James Bond Movie, Reveals Theme Song Is Done

Sam Mendes Says 'Spectre' Will Be His Last James Bond Movie, Reveals Theme Song Is Done

“Was I willing to go back into a room with a writer and start work on the same set of characters and the same scenarios as I’ve been working on for the last three years? The idea made me physically ill,” director Sam Mendes said in the spring of 2013, following the billion dollar release of “Skyfall” in the fall of 2012 about returning to helm another installment of the franchise. But it was just a couple of months later when he signed up to helm “Spectre.” However, now that his second 007 adventure has wrapped, Mendes says he’s really and truly done.

“I said no to the last one and then ended up doing it, and was pilloried by all my friends. But I do think this is probably it,” he told BBC News. “I don’t think I could go down that road again. You do have to put everything else on hold.”

“It feels almost, even though we’ve just finished shooting it, like one big experience and it was a fantastic life-changing thing,” he also said. “It really is more a lifestyle choice than a job.”

Essentially, making a Bond movie — and I would imagine any franchise flick — is a massive devotion of time and energy, and Mendes has given five years to Bond, so perhaps it’s not a surprise he wants to move on. Then again, he has said this before, and if “Spectre” also breaks the billion dollar mark, you can bet the producers will do whatever they can to retain Mendes’s skills.

Meanwhile, the director has also teased that the 007 theme song is done, though of course, the artist is currently a mystery. “I can say that the song’s been recorded and it’s fantastic and I’m very excited about it. You won’t have to wait long,” Mendes said.

Rumors about who is doing the song have been flying about, and Sam Smith recently took his name out of the running, but offered up another contender. “I actually have no idea. People seem to think I’m doing it but I have absolutely no idea what’s going on,” Smith told Capital London Breakfast Show. “I heard Ellie Goulding was going to do it, I heard loads of different things. It’s definitely not me.”

“Spectre” opens in the UK on October 26th and in the US on November 6th. Check out a featurette about the vehicles in the film below.

Update:USA Today has new photos of the Bond girls in “Spectre.” Look for the trailer tomorrow.